Incandescent electric lamp socket, lamp, and adapter therefor



Apnl 18, 1950 HOWELL 2,504,419

INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET, LAMP, AND ADAPTER THEREFOR Filed June 27, 1947 FiG. I

Pie. 4

[N VEN TOR.

LER T S. HOWELL BY Patented Apr. 18, 1950 INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMP SOCKET, LAMP, AND ADAPTER THEREFOR Albert S. Howell, Culver, Ind., assignor to Bell & Howell Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 27, 1947, Serial No. 757,435

4 Claims. (CL 173-4557) My invention relates to an incandescent electric lamp socket, lamp, and adapter therefor of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,675,554, granted July 3, 1928, on application filed by me, for improvement in Incandescent electric lamp socket, lamp, and adapter therefor, and has for major objects the provision of an improved socket, lamp, and adapter therefor of said type which is of simple construction, which provides for adequate Ventilation through the socket and by the base of the lamp, which provides for accurately and rigidly positioning the lamp in the socket both longitudinally and angularly of the lamp, which provides against tilting of the lamp in the socket, which provides for the mounting of the socket on a lamp receiving sleeve of a ventilated lamp house while providing adequate ventilation through the sleeve and socket, and the adapter of which provides for adapting the conventional base of lamps to my invention, the socket of my invention being particularly adapted for the mounting of a lamp in inverted position in a lamp housing.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects, hereinafter appearing, are effected all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the said drawing- Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of a lamp house equipped with an incandescent electric lamp socket and lamp embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the annular contact of the socket with a lamp installed thereon;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the annular contact of the socket showing one of the contact elements thereof;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the lamp of my invention installed on an annular socket contact of the type shown in the aforementioned patent, the circumferential contact of the lamp being modified as hereinafter described for installation on this socket contact;

Figure 5 is a top plan View of the socket contact and lamp shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the lamp base adapter of my invention.

Figure '7 is a partial perspective view of another form of the lamp base adapter of my invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a vertically disposed lamp housing I is closed at its upper end,

as designated at 2, and a lamp receiving sleeve 3 3 is disposed within the housing in concentric relation therewith with its upper end spaced downwardly from the closed upper end 2 of the housmg.

A metallic cylindrical lamp socket contact ring 4, having a smaller diameter than that of the sleeve 3, is supported from the sleeve in central relation with and in the region of the upper end of the sleeve by means of support studs 5 angularly spaced about the sleeve axis, bushings 6 of insulating material being interposed between the studs and ring for insulating the ring from the sleeve.

The ring 4, see Figures 2 and 3, is provided with two contact element forming recesses l and a third contact element forming recess 8 angularly spaced about the axis of the ring in circumscribing relation therewith and extending downwardly from the upper axial face and spaced from the lower axial face of the ring and formed by these portions of the ring being offset radially outward from the ring as by extrusion. The recesses I and 8 provide upwardly facing contact surfaces 9, outer wall portions 5 i, and angularly facing opposing pairs of shoulders i 2 limiting the extents of the contact elements angularly of the socket axis, and the recess 8 is of greater extent angularly of the ring axis than the recesses 1 and the shoulders l2 of the recess 3 are consequently spaced a greater extent angularly of the socket axis than the shoulders l2 of the recesses l for a purpose hereinafter appearing.

The socket ring i is adapted to have the body:

I3 of an incandescent electric lamp It passed downwardly therethrough for the installation of the lamp on the socket and the base of the lamp is provided with a circumferential metallic contact, generally designated at I5, arranged angu- I larly about the base axis and extending laterally thereof outwardly beyond the lamp body and comprising a peripheral contact portion facing axially of the base in the direction of the lamp body and consisting of two contact elements It and a third contact element l'i angularly spaced about the axis of the base in circumscribing re- 1 the angular extent of the contact element 11 being greater than the contact elements I6, and when the lamp is installed on the socket the contact elements I6 and I1 are respectively engaged .in the recesses 1 and 8 and downwardly on the contact surfaces 9, the three point engagement of the lamp base contact with the socket contact ring providing against tilting of the lamp and the lamp @being predeterminately angularly positioned by reason of the angular extent of the contact element I? being greater than the angular spacing of the shoulders R2 of the recesses I so that the contact element i? ma onl be received in the recess 8.

The lamp socket also comprises, see Figure 1, a conductive end contact l8 carried on an arm l9 pivotally mounted, as designated at 2!, on a support 22 secured on the upper endof thesleeve 3 radially outward of the contact ring, the contact l8 being thus mounted for movement into and out of contact with a usual centrally disposed conductive end contact 23 of the lamp base for installation and removal of the lamp. A spring device 26, associated with the support .22, is operative on the arm I!) to yieldably urge the contact 18 'into and normally maintain the same in contact with the and contact 23 of the lamp base andhold the lamp in the socket with the contact t of the lamp base in contact with the contact ing 4.,of the socket.

The contact l5 of the lamp base, as shown, is provided y th ada of my inv n which issecured to the outer cylindrical conductive member'25 of a usual lampbase of the lamp, the end contact of the lamp base being insulated from the member 25.

The adapter forming the contact l5, .see Figures 2 and 6, comprises a hexagonal collar having alternate long and short sides of which the long sides 25 form arms and have their intermediate portions engaged with the cylindrical conductive member 25 of the lamp base and secured therewith as by soldering and the short sides of which form respectively the contact elements [6 and H, the short side forming the contact element i! being of greater extent angularly of the collar than the other two short sides forming the contact elements 16. As shown, the adapter is formed of a single strip of sheet metal of appreciably greater width than thickness and. disposed with the width thereof extending transversely of the plane of the adapter, the ends of the stripbeing joined together by means of a tightly fitting dovetail joint as designated at 21 in Figure 6. The arms of the contact t5 which carry the contact elements l6 and H are thus-of relatively small and large cross sectional extents respectively parallel to and transversely of the plane of the adapter to provide air passage thereby of relatively great area while providing adequate rigidity.

Referring to Figure 1, an air current is passed upwardly between the lamp housing I and sleeve 3 anddownwardly past the lamp socket and lamp base and within the sleeve for cooling the lamp, it being observed that the skeletal character of the contact l5 permits the free passage of air thereby and within the socket ring 4, free passage of air being also afforded exterior of the socket ring. The lamp housing I is removable in a suitable manner for installation and removal of the lamp.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the lamp l4-of my invention is shown installed on a prior art socket contact ring 28 comprising an annular metal ring the upper surface of which is counter- .75

bored to provide an upwardly facing contact surface 29 surrounding the opening thereof, and the ring being provided with a radial slot 3| at the counterbored portion thereof.

The lamp is installed on the socket ring 28 in the same manner as before described with the contactelementsil fi and 4-11 of the circumferential lamp base contact engaged downwardly on the contact surface 29 of the socket ring, and in :order to predeterm'inately angularly position the lamp, the contact element I1 is provided with .a lug .32 projecting therefrom in the direction in which this contact element faces and which engagesin theslot 3| to angularly position .theilamp, the width of the lug being less than the extent of the contact element I1 angularly of the .lamp base axis to provide contact surfaces 33 at the sides of the lug, as shown in Figure 7, which engage downwardly on the contact surface 29.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, the upwardly facing'contact surfaces 9 of the recesses l and 8 are shown disposed in the same radial plane of the socket axis, and in order that the lamp may be installed in this socket, lamp is equipped with an adapter which is not provided with a lug 32 as shown in Figure 6.

While I have thus described my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise details described, as changes may be readily made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention, I claim as new and .desire to secure by Letters Patent the following:

1. An adapter for an incandescent electric lamp base comprising aconductive contact member of generally annular character adapted to be engaged about an outer cylindrical conductive member of a lamp base and secured therewith and comprising a substantially hexagonal collar having alternate long and short sides and the long sides of which form arms and have their intermediate portions engageable with said cylindrical conductive member for securing thereto and the short sides of which form contact elements providing an interrupted peripheral contact portion facing transversely of the plane of said contact member and said arms being of appreciably greater width than thickness and disposed with the width thereof extending transversely of said plane to provide air passage thereby of relatively great area.

2. An adapter for an incandescent electric lamp base comprising a conductive contact member of generally annular character adapted to be engaged about an outer cylindrical conductive member of a lamp base and secured therewith and comprising a substantially hexagonal collar having alternate long and short sides and the long sides of which form arms and have their intermediate portions engageable with said cylindrical conductive member for securing thereto and the short sides of which form contact elements providing an interrupted peripheral contact portion facing transversely of the plane of said contact member and said contact member being formed of a single piece of sheet metal and the material of said arms being of appreciably greater width than thickness and disposed with the width thereof extending transversely of said plane to provide air passage thereby of relatively great area.

3. An adapter for an incandescent electric lamp base comprising-a conductive contactmember of generally annular character adapted to :be

engaged about an outer cylindrical conductive member of a lamp base and secured therewith and comprising a substantially hexagonal collar having alternate long and short sides and the long sides of which form arms and have their intermediate portions engageable with said cylindrical conductive member for securing thereto and the short sides of which form contact elements providing an interrupted peripheral contact portion facing transversely of the plane of said contact member and said contact member being formed of a single piece of sheet material of ap preciably greater width than thickness and disposed with the width thereof extending transversely of said plane to provide air passage thereby of relatively great area.

4. An.- adapter for an incandescent electric lamp base comprising a conductive contact member of generally annular character adapted to be engaged about an outer cylindrical conductive member of a lamp base and secured therewith and comprising three triangularly related arms joined at their ends and having their intermediate portions engageable with said cylindrical conductive member for securing thereto and contact elements at the joined ends of said arms and providing an interruped peripheral contact portion facing transversely of the plane of said contact member and said arms being of appreciably greater width than thickness and disposed with the Width thereof extending transversely of said plane to provide air passage there by of relatively great area.

ALBERT S. HOWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,259,752 Laird Mar. 19 1918 1,895,455 Ebeling Jan. 31, 1933 2,004,200 Goodlin June 11, 1935 2,034,512 Geiger Mar. 17, 1936 2,117,757 Douglas May 17, 1938 2,117,762 Douglas May 17, 1938 2,236,357 Stechbart Mar. 25, 1941 2,341,431 Fairbanks Feb. 8, 1944 

